Pirates' Konnor Griffin Gives Back to High School
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star prospect Konnor Griffin has an important season ahead of him and while his focus is on self-improvement, he also is cognizant of where he came from and how that's made him the person he is today.
The Pirates took Griffin with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, Miss., and he joined on for a $6.5 million signing bonus.
Griffin, who spent a great deal of his offseason back in Mississippi, made sure his high school team was ready for the 2026 season, gifting each player a brand new pair of sunglasses.
Good luck this season!@jprepbaseball @ride100percent https://t.co/DfR9iQD1cY
— Konnor Griffin (@KonnorGriffin22) February 5, 2026
The 19-year old now heads into his second professional season and one that he could make the Pirates 26-man roster at some point.
Griffin Becomes Burgeoning Star at Jackson Prep
While Griffin has become the best prospect in baseball with the Pirates, he first gained notoriety for his play with Jackson Prep.
He had a great senior season, leading Jackson Prep to a 31-4 record, their sixth consecutive and Mississippi record MAIS Class 6A state championship and earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors.
Griffin posted a .559 batting average in 2024, with 66 hits in 118 at-bats, along with 39 RBIs, 13 doubles, nine home runs and four triples as a senior. He also only struckout 10 times, while earning 47 walks and got hit by pitch five times.
He showed his prowess in the infield, with a .932 fielding percentage, turning nine double plays and only committing six errors. He also plays in the outfield too, giving the Pirates a number of positions they can put him at to succeed.
Griffin also performed as a right-handed pitcher, a 7-1 record, 81 strikeouts to just 15 walks and a 1.38 ERA in 50.2 innings pitched as a senior.
He also was a good basketball player leading Jackson Prep with 12.3 points, 7.4 rebounds per game, blocking 26 shots, and shooting 51.9% from the field. His efforts led Jackson Prep to its second consecutive MAIS Overall Tournament championship in the 2023-24 season.
Griffin is Next Star Prospect
Griffin quickly moved up in the Pirates minor league system. He started out with Single-A Bradenton after a strong showing in Spring Training, moved to High-A Greensboro on June 10, then finished off with Double-A Altoona on Aug. 18.
Batting Avg. | On-Base % | Slugging % | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|
.333 | .415 | .527 | .942 |
Hits | Doubles | Home Runs | RBI | BB/K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
161 | 23 | 21 | 94 | 50/122 |
He led all of minor league baseball with 117 runs scored and the 19-year old became the first teenage draftee to have a 20-40 season, finishing with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases. He was also the first minor league player to have a 20-60 season since 1982.
Griffin ranked amongst the best players in the minor leagues, including second in runs scored, fourth in batting average, fifth in hits, tied for seventh in RBIs and tied for eighth in stolen bases.
He was the first teenager since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to hit .333 or better in a minor league season. He is also one of just five teenagers that were a part of the 20-40 club and stole the most bases of that group.
Griffin also played in the Futures Game during All-Star week, honoring the best prospects in baseball. Altoona teammate Esmerlyn Valdez joined him there as well, as the duo represented the Pirates for the National League.
Accolades Pile on for Griffin
Griffin's great play earned him many awards and accolades, including earning the title of top prospect in baseball, with Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and The Athletic giving him the coveted spot.
He also won honors like Baseball America naming him their Minor League Player of the Year Award and MLB Pipeline naming him their Hitting Prospect of the Year and Debut of the Year.
The Pirates also honored Griffin with the Honus Wagner Player of the Year, given to the best player in their minor leagues, and the Bill Mazeroski Defender of the Year, given to the best defensive player in the minor leagues.
Griffin ended his season by earning an MiLB Gold Glove Award, which bodes well for the Pirates, who reportedly see him as their starting shortstop for 2026 Opening Day.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.